Power, Wisdom, Courage
by Tuxedo Mark
Summary: The capstone of the entire Captain N fanfic continuation of the cartoon series. Takes place on Hyrule and stars Link and Zelda.


POWER, WISDOM, COURAGE 

POWER, WISDOM, COURAGE   
WRITTEN BY  
MARK MOORE

  


Author's note: I started writing this story on Friday, August 23, 2002, at 8:00 PM. I finished writing it on Tuesday, September 10, 2002, at 1:51 AM.

The purpose of this story is to end the current Captain N fanfic continuation, which ran from 1996 to 2000, and lead in to the new fanfic continuation, which will be based off of the comic books.

I'd come up with many different ideas on how to end the series, and I actually started writing some of them. I wanted something big and spectacular. In the end, I settled on a simple, quiet story set entirely on Hyrule. Even though the entire current N Team is present, Lana and Zelda are the primary focus of this story. And why not? They were the first good characters that we saw in their respective cartoon series. Both of these girls faced threats to their kingdoms at the start of their respective TV series, and both shall face threats to their kingdoms in this "last" Zelda / Captain N story.

This will not be the last story that I write for this fanfic continuation. However, this story is the capstone of the continuation. Any later stories that I write for this continuation occur before this story.

The following story is copyrighted © 2002 by Mark Moore.

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get this story up for the 13th Anniversary of Captain N, but it's still September 9 in Northridge, California. =) Thank you for four great years of Captain N fanfics, and enjoy the story. 

  


POWER 

  
Monday, September 9, 2002, 7:00 AM 

    _Princess Zelda Harkinian, Ruler of the Kingdom of Hyrule._     Zelda was startled as she stood on the balcony in her nightgown and crown of flowers, where she had been breathing in the morning air.     _I am here. Speak, Din, for your servant is listening._     _There is a problem. Please come to the Throne room._     Zelda turned and ran out of her bedroom.     She ran downstairs and into the Throne room.     Zelda slowly approached her throne, on which the Triforce were mounted, knelt on both knees, and lowered her head.     _Yes?_     _There is a serious problem. Summon the following people to the Throne room at once: Link Chance, Spryte the Princess of the Fairies, Kevin Kristopher Keene, Lana Sarah Deschain, Samus Aran, Richard Edward Walker, Michael Vincent, Stacey Lynn Anderson, and Li Shiroshi._     _Yes, Adonai._     Zelda stood up, turned, and ran out of the Throne room.     She ran upstairs and stopped in the doorway to Link's bedroom.     Link was asleep in his bed.     "Link, get up!" Zelda yelled.     Link woke up, sat up in bed, and rubbed his eyes with his right arm. "Huh? What's up?"     "Get dressed." Zelda told him. "If you see Spryte, tell her to come with you. Go down to the Throne room."     Link yawned. "Why?"     "Din wants us there. She says there's a problem." Zelda then ran downstairs.     Zelda ran into the Communications room and contacted the N Team's house in Megaland.     Lana answered the call. "Zelda! Hi!"     "Lana, please get Kevin, Samus, Rick, Mike, Stacey, and Li and come here right away!" Zelda told her.     "Why? What's wrong?" Lana asked.     "I don't know." Zelda replied. "All I know is that Din wants you here."     Lana was surprised and silent for a moment. "All right. We'll be there soon." 

    Lana, Kevin, Samus, Rick, Mike, Stacey, and Li walked into the Throne room.     Zelda and Link were standing there. Spryte was hovering above Link's left shoulder.     "What now?" Lana asked.     _Lana Sarah Deschain, approach._     "Me?" Lana asked in surprise. "Why me?"     "I don't know, Lana." Zelda told her. "Just do it - and kneel."     Lana slowly approached the throne and got on her knees.     "What do you want?" Lana asked.     Zelda was surprised that Lana would address a Goddess in such a manner. "Be respectful, Lana, and think; don't speak. What is said between you and the Goddesses must remain secret unless they permit you to share it with others."     Lana lowered her head and closed her eyes. _I'm sorry._     _You are forgiven._     _What is it that you want of me?_     _Permission._     _I don't understand. If you really are a Goddess, surely you can do whatever you want. Why do you need my permission?_     _Do you doubt who we are?_     _Yes._     _Do you believe that is blasphemy?_     _Blind faith is the ultimate blasphemy._     _Then we will offer you proof. Nayru will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again. Then I will give you great power. You will have more power than any other person in the universe. We will give all these things to you, even though you do not know us. That is our offer. Our only condition is that you listen._     _Very well. Speak, Nayru._

  


WISDOM 

  
    _This is wrong._     _What is?_     _Mostly everything._     _I don't understand._     _You know of the other Videoland. That is Videoland V. In that universe is a world known as Hyrule. There is a Zelda and a Link. There is also the Triforce, which we speak and work our magic through. We loved this universe so much, that we attempted to duplicate our creation. So, on Friday, September 8, 1989, by your calendar, we created Hyrule D by cloning the Hyrule in Videoland V, slightly changing the appearance of the universe, and changing history. The following day, we created Videoland I by cloning some of the other worlds in Videoland V, creating new worlds, and adding and changing history. In that Videoland, there is no Hyrule. Unfortunately, Hyrule D and Videoland I, being clones, contained flaws in the timestream, resulting in paradoxes and other anomalies. So, on Saturday, September 8, 1990, we created Videoland II by cloning Videoland I and Hyrule D, creating new worlds, slightly altering the appearance of the universe, and adding and changing history. In this Videoland, there is an altered Hyrule. Videoland II began to suffer the same problems as Videoland I. So, on Saturday, September 14, 1991, we created Videoland III by cloning Videolands I and II, except for Hyrule, creating new worlds, adding and changing history, and simplifying the appearance of the universe._     _But...if there are four different Videolands, then...how could I have experienced all those events? Which Videoland do I live in?_     _It is not Videoland III, because the appearance of that Videoland is different. What is your hair color?_     _Light brown._     _The Lana in Videoland II has dark brown hair._     _So, do I live in Videoland I?_     _You live in Videoland IV._     _What is Videoland IV?_     _We tried to correct the problem by abandoning the faulty Videolands, and so, on Tuesday, October 29, 1996, we cloned Videolands I, II, and III and created a new universe - Videoland IV. We also cloned Hyrule D and added it into Videoland IV. This new universe uses the appearances of Videoland I and, to a lesser extent, Hyrule D and Videoland II. However, we soon found that the events of the four previous universes were conflicting with each other. I will give you some examples. What music were you dancing to on Saturday, September 16, 1989, when Captain N first gave you dance lessons?_     _I...well, that's weird._     _What did North Castle look like in 1989?_     _It...no, that can't be right._     _Did Captain N arrive in Videoland as a fulfillment of an ancient prophecy?_     _Yes, of course._     _Then why, on Saturday, October 20, 1990, did you tell the Earthlings that the N Team had asked for the best from Earth? Why did you tell them that the Ultimate Warp Zone, a nonliving entity, chose Kevin Keene as your Game Master?_     _I...don't know why I said that._     _Events are inconsistent with each other due both to the mergers and the flaws inherent in cloning. We tried to patch up the timestream by adding history, but it was no enough. You have exchanging a great amount of matter between numerous dimensions. This has undermined our repair efforts and further weakened the timestream. This universe is dying, and we wish to save it. Do you understand?_     _Yes. Yes, I think I do. How do we fix the problems?_     _We propose merging this universe with Videoland V and using the appearance of that universe. Once that is done, we will jettison a large amount of continuity and greatly restrict travel between dimensions._     _What you're proposing...How can I be sure that I'll be alive right now in this new universe or existed at all?_     _You do not, nor do we. We can assure you only that the two souls of saved people common to both universes will cohabit in one body. You must have faith in us._     _Damn you!_     _That is blasphemy._     _Blind faith is the ultimate blasphemy._     _As a sign that we care about our people we have chosen you to be our representative in this matter. We will be bound by whatever decision you make._     _I'll have to think about it and discuss it with my friends._     _Decide quickly. We estimate that there is less than one hour before this universe begins to become unstable._     Lana stood up and turned around.     Zelda, Link, Spryte, Kevin, Samus, Mike, Rick, Stacey, and Li were looking at her.     "Well?" Link asked. "What did she say?"     Zelda elbowed him in the ribs.     Lana answered him anyway: "They wanna pull a Crisis on us, and it looks like they're Marv Wolfman and George Perez."     This left Zelda, Link, Spryte, Samus, and Li confused, but Kevin, Mike, Rick, and Stacey were surprised. 

    Zelda sat at the head of the table in the Conference room.     Lana sat to her right. Link sat to Zelda's left. Also seated at the table were Kevin, Samus, Mike, Rick, Stacey, and Li. Spryte hovered above Link's right shoulder.     Lana had just finished explaining everything that Din and Nayru had told her to the others.     Zelda drew a long, deep breath and exhaled it just as slowly. "I didn't expect anything like this."     "So, what do I do?" Lana asked everyone. "Do I accept their offer or reject it?"     "What will the consequences be?" Kevin asked.     Lana shrugged. "I don't know. We may have died years earlier, we may still be alive now, or we may have never existed at all. We may have met, or we may have never met."     Samus pounded her left fist on the table. "This is a bunch of bullshit! Why should we have to face annihilation when they fucked up?"     "We fucked up, too, Samus." Lana pointed out. "We accidentally warped to your universe and two others. We moved things around. This caused a big strain on the continua for all universes involved."     "So, warping is harmful to the universe?" Mike asked with a grin.     "This is no time for jokes, Mike." Rick told him.     "Maybe this is for the best." Lana said. "The N Team hasn't been doing anything recently. We don't have a purpose. Maybe, if we survive, we'll have a purpose in the new universe."     "What about Earth?" Kevin asked. "How many will there be?"     "And what about me?" Li asked. "I'm not from Videoland. Or am I? Is the Mirror World part of Videoland? It can be reached from the Warp Zone to Oblivion. On the other hand, Gameboy was sent from there via an interdimensional warp zone."     "I'll have to ask." Lana answered them.     "I don't like the idea of not existing." Stacey said.     "I don't like this whole thing." Lana told everyone. "Not only will we lose everything that we've learned, all of our emotional growth, and possibly our very lives, but I'll also be forcing this decision on untold numbers of people who have no choice in the matter."     "But what choice do we have?" Link asked.     "Let's wait and see what happens!" Stacey suggested. "I don't wanna die!"     Suddenly, a loud sound came from outside.     Spryte flew over to the window, look outside, turned to her friends, and pointed out the window with her right index finger. "The wait's over."     Everyone stood up and walked over to the window. They looked outside.     Lightning was flashing in the sky, and thunder was crackling. Lightning bolts struck the ground, setting grass and trees on fire.     Spryte flew out the window.     Everyone else ran downstairs and outside.     The sky was dark, lit only by the lightning. Thunderclaps shook the castle.     Lana turned to face her friends. "Let's put it to a preliminary vote. All in favor of me granting the...whoever permission to alter the universes?"     Slowly, everyone raised their hands.     "I'm still not convinced." Lana said.     She walked back into the castle and knelt in front of the Triforce. 

  


COURAGE 

  
    _There has to be another way._     _There is not._     _You're Farore?_     _I am._     _This isn't fair! I acknowledge that we humans have contributed to the problem, but you started it! Therefore, I want a guarantee, or else I bind you to do nothing._     _What is your term?_     _I want you to save me and my friends and guarantee our existence in the new universe._     _We cannot guarantee that. Trust us to do the right thing._     _It's pretty hard to trust fuck-ups such as yourselves to do the right thing!_     _When a creator builds something that others do not like, she may lose favor in their eyes, and it is difficult to regain their trust that she can create something new and wonderful. It is a great person who can trust a well-intentioned creator again._     _I'll get back to you soon._     Lana stood up and turned around.     Zelda was standing there.     "I'm scared." Lana told her.     Zelda offered Lana her right hand. "Come with me."     Lana held Zelda's right hand in her left and let Zelda lead her out the front door.     They sat outside.     "Have faith." Zelda told her.     "In what?" Lana asked her.     Zelda thought for a moment. "The First Epistle of Akarin to the Calatians, chapter 3, verses 13 through 15: 'The fire will test the quality of each woman's work. If what she has built survives, she will receive her reward. If it is burned up, she will suffer loss, but she herself will be saved, because she escaped through the fire.' This is nothing to be afraid of, Lana. The purifying flame is something that every person faces before joining the Goddesses in Paradise. Our sins, our faults, must be purged before we can join those who are perfect. The same must be true to save the universe."     Lana smiled. "You're amazing. No wonder I love you so much."     The two of them leaned in close to each other. Lana kissed Zelda on the lips. Zelda slipped her tongue into Lana's mouth, and they frenched for a while. Then Lana sucked on Zelda's tongue.     Out of the corner of her right eye, Lana saw something move.     Lana released Zelda's tongue and saw a turtle moving back and forth by a fence. It was trapped. Lana stood up and walked over to the fence. She picked up the turtle, walked over to the gate, unlocked it, opened it, and set the turtle on the ground outside.     Lana smiled. "I wonder if you'll still be walking around in a while, Mr. Turtle. I hope so."     She turned and walked back through the gate. She turned, closed it, and locked it.     Suddenly, Lana saw Zelda fire an arrow through the air. It struck a deer. The deer fell over, dead.     Lana looked at Zelda.     Zelda looked at Lana. "Breakfast." 

    Zelda sat at the head of the dining room table.     Lana sat to her right. Link sat to Zelda's left. Also seated at the table were Kevin, Samus, Mike, Rick, Stacey, and Li. Spryte hovered above Link's right shoulder.     Each of them was eating venison.     During the course of the meal, Zelda passed slices of bread to each of them.     "Bread is high in carbohydrates." Li said. "I usually avoid it. I don't want to be overweight."     The others stared at her.     "This time, though, I'll make an exception." Li picked up her slice of bread and ate a piece of it.     Stacey smiled. "Great meal, Zelda. I don't want to not exist on an empty stomach."     Zelda smiled weakly. "Thank you, Stacey. Do any of you want some Hylian wine? It's mixed with deer's blood."     Lana shrugged and held out her chalice. "Might as well."     Zelda poured wine into it.     Lana drank it all in a few seconds. 

    After dinner, Lana played her guitar and sang a song for her friends in the dining room: 

    "Of all the things I've believed in,     I just want to get it over with.     Tears form behind my eyes,     but I do not cry,     counting the days that pass me by. 

    I've been searching deep down in my soul.     Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old.     It feels like I'm starting all over again.     The last thirteen years were just pretend.     And I said 

    good-bye to you.     Good-bye to everything I thought I knew.     You were the one I loved,     the one thing that I tried to hold on to. 

    I still get lost in your eyes,     and it seems that I can't live a day without you     closing my eyes, and you chase my thoughts away     to a place, where I am blinded by the light,     but it's not right. 

    Good-bye to you.     Good-bye to everything I thought I knew.     You were the one I loved,     the one thing that I tried to hold on to. 

    And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time.     I want what's yours, and I want what's mine.     I want you,     but I'm not giving in this time. 

    Good-bye to you.     Good-bye to everything I thought I knew.     You were the one I loved,     the one thing that I tried to hold on to,     the one thing that I tried to hold on to. 

    Good-bye to you.     Good-bye to everything I thought I knew.     You were the one I loved,     the one thing that I tried to hold on to. 

    And when the stars fall,     I will lie awake.     You're my shooting star." 

    Lana walked outside North Castle and amidst the fire that now consumed the entire forest.     She placed her left hand over a flame. 

LANA:  
    "I touch the fire, and it freezes me.     I look into it, and it's black.     Why can't I feel?     My skin should crack and peel.     I want the fire back. 

    Now, through the smoke, they call to me     to make my way across the flame,     to save the day     or maybe melt away;     I guess it's all the same. 

    So, I will walk through the fire,     'cause where else can I turn?     I will walk through the fire     and let it - " 

KEVIN:  
    "Will this do a thing to change her?     Is she putting us in danger?     Or is Lana too far gone to care?" 

MIKE:  
    "What if Lana can't complete it?" 

STACEY:  
    "Beady Eyes is right! We're needed,     or we could just sit around and glare." 

KEVIN, SAMUS, MIKE, STACEY, RICK, LI, LINK, ZELDA, SPRYTE:  
    "We'll see it through.     It's what we're always here to do,     so we will walk through the fire." 

LANA:  
    "These endless days     are finally ending in a blaze, 

ALL:  
    "and we are caught in the fire,     the point of no return,     so we will walk through the fire     and let it     burn!     Let it     burn!     Let it     burn!     Let it burn!" 

    They all converged in the Throne room.     Lana went and fell to her knees in front of the Triforce.     _Two questions._     _Ask them._     _What of the two Earths?_     _They will merge, and the souls of two people common to both worlds will cohabit in one body._     _What of the Mirror World?_     _It will merge with Videoland, and the souls of two people common to both Videoland and the Mirror World will cohabit in one body._     _Then I give you my permission._     _We are pleased, and, because you look after the well-being of your fellow humans and still trust in us, we will grant your term. You and your friends shall survive to be in the new universe._     _Thank you!_     Lana smiled. She stood up, turned, and faced her friends. Her smile widened into a grin.     The others cheered.     Lana ran over and hugged each of them.     Zelda kissed Link on the lips.     Link grinned. "Finally!"     Zelda smiled. "Enjoy it while you can. Soon, it won't have happened."     Link frowned. "Damn it!"     Lana kissed Kevin on the lips. "Thank you for everything, my Game Master."     Kevin smiled. "I live to help beautiful Princesses."     Lana kissed Stacey on the lips. "I love you, Stacey."     Stacey smiled. "I love you, too, Lana."     Lana and Zelda stared at each other.     "I...wish I had enough time to fuck you once more." Lana said.     Zelda grinned. "Maybe you will. Who knows? Maybe we lost our virginity as teenagers in the new universe."     "I hope that we're together in the new universe." Lana said.     "Shut up and kiss me." Zelda demanded.     Lana kissed Zelda soundly on the lips. They kissed, licked, sucked, and slurped each other.     When their tongues and lips finally parted, Lana held Zelda's hands.     "Let it be." Lana said.     The Triforce started glowing.     Red, green, and blue lights spread throughout the room, bathing everyone in their colored glows.     Lana sang a song to Zelda: 

    "Free     the dream within.     The stars are crying     a tear.     A sigh     escapes from Heaven,     and worlds end. 

    Breathe     the dream within,     the mystifying.     We tremble and spin,     suspended within. 

    Look     beyond     where hearts     can see.     Dream     in peace.     Trust, love,     believe.     We tremble and spin,     suspended within. 

    Free     the dream within,     the voices calling     a song,     a prayer     from deep inside you     to guide you. 

    Be     the dream within.     The light is shining     a flame on the wind.     Salvation begins. 

    Look     beyond     where hearts     can see.     Dream     in peace.     Trust, love,     believe.     We tremble and spin,     suspended within. 

    Free the dream within. 

    The stars are crying     a tear.     A sigh     escapes from Heaven,     and worlds end.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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